How Uttarakhand Flash Floods Affected Water Supply in Delhi

Chadha said that the level of turbidity in Ganga water had increased from 100 to 8,000 NTUs.

(Photo: iStock)

Flash floods in Uttarakhand had massively increased the turbidity in the Ganga river, overwhelming the filtration systems at two Delhi Jal Board water treatment plans in Delhi, eventually impacting the supply of water across multiple localities in the city.

Turbidity is a measure of water clarity, which helps in classifying the concentration of slit, mud and other debris in water. A higher turbidity would mean that the water has a high concentration of impurities mentioned above.

According to NTDV, DJP Vice Chairman and Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raghav Chadha said that usually, the water from Ganga in February remains at a level of 100 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTUs). However, due to the flash floods, it had increased to 8,000 NTUs.

Chadha said that due to alarming levels of impurities, DJB’s water treatment plants in Bhagirathi Vihar and Sonia Vihar were only functioning at 30 to 40 percent capacity.

However, he added that despite being faced with such high level of impurities in water, the treatment plants had managed to bring down the turbidity from 8,000 NTUs to 960 NTUs.

The Rajindernagar MLA further said that after the work of DJB officials, water supply at Bhagirathi Vihar has increased to 100 percent, while at Sonia Vihar, it is 80 percent.